Decibel Hosts Second Dove Springs Sounding Board Meeting

As part of Decibel’s Dove Springs reporting project, the second meeting with its community Sounding Board took place on October 16th. The Sounding Board is made up of residents interested in amplifying the community’s stories. Out of ten members making up the community advisory group, two were in attendance. They discussed feedback they had for the team’s reporting so far, as well as what other topics they’d like to see covered.

The reporting project hones in on the Dove Springs area. After initial conversations with the Sounding Board, the main stories residents wanted to hear centered around housing issues. At this second meeting, main issues members stated they currently see in the community included gentrification, flood insurance costs and not addressing flooding zones, problems all chalking up to one theme: affordability.

The board talked about how residents must pay flood insurance if they still have a mortgage through the Federal Emergency Management Agency; however, one resident said in the past couple of years, her insurance has risen from $450 to $1,000, making it even more difficult to live in the area. Though trying to raise awareness on flood insurance policies, the member said getting anyone to help has proven difficult.

The member said zoning areas for floods are not being addressed properly which could cause further damage in the future. She said residents are reluctant to reach out to city officials because of lasting trauma from previous flooding events. This year marks 10 years since the 2013 Halloween flood.

She said many people in the community become discouraged when turned down as often as she has, but that more reporting on this issue could make a change. They said they want to see more stories similar to our initial focus on Bertha Hernández working through the urban heat island effect. The members agreed similar stories would show the strength residents build because of issues such as affordable housing and flooding.

To give context to these current issues, the board also wished for stories on the history of the area. This would help see how affordability in the area became difficult and why issues with flooding zones and construction exist in the first place. As well as talking to members in the area, they’d also like to hear from residents who used to live in Dove Springs but can no longer afford it to give a more rounded-out perspective.

The board also discussed Decibel’s outreach methods for feedback. To see how accurate reporting is being done, Decibel’s senior multimedia reporter Blair Waltman-Alexin sends feedback forms to the board with a scale rating and a text box for any additional input. The board agreed they liked the method, which the team will continue to do to ensure fair reporting. More meetings will occur throughout the reporting project between the Sounding Board and Decibel.

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